Shamelessly Great

Shameless Finale: Not Even That Shocking Twist Could Overshadow the Heartbreak

I suppose we should start by addressing the big, lying car thief in the room. Let’s start with that twist. After being fooled by many fake-out deaths in film and television in the past, I promised myself that I wouldn’t believe a character was dead until I saw his lifeless body. Fiona’s love interest Steve, a.k.a. Jimmy, a.k.a. Jack (Justin Chatwin), “died” offscreen last year. Though I had my suspicions, the show-runners made it pretty clear Jimmy’s time was up. They said last June, “He has done great work, but that character was coming to an end.” But I guess they were lying, because Jimmy’s back and he’s got the great Dichen Lachman (Dollhouse) in tow.

The powers that be worked so hard to keep the Jimmy reveal a secret they even hid the fact from the rest of the cast, who found out live with the audiences watching at home. So I suppose we have some more Jimmy drama to look forward to next season. The addition of Lachman is the more pleasant surprise. She, along with Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who made his debut in this episode as Fiona’s new boss), should provide a welcome shake-up to the Shameless world next season. New is good. I’m worried that the Jimmy thing is a re-tread. The plot hasn’t suffered at all without him. In fact, I quite like the way Fiona’s story line opened up with Jimmy’s departure. (The same way Lip’s did when Karen left.) But after this stellar season, it’s hard not to trust the Shameless writers to know what’s best for their story.

What’s best for the story, unfortunately, is often what’s worst for the character. As we discussed last week, with Frank (William H. Macy) and Fiona (Emmy Rossum) on the sidelines this year, the story has done a brilliant job focusing in on Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Lip Gallagher (Jeremy Allen White). By extension, the show has become much more involved in the Milkovich household. That’s where we find the two most poignant moments of this finale. Frank’s defiant drink, and Fiona’s homecoming were both very powerful moments in their own right, but it was Mandy (Emma Greenwell) and Lip, and Ian and Mickey (Noel Fisher), who really brought the house down. Who knew the Milkoviches could bring so much pain?

In my opinion, that scene between Mandy and Lip in the diner was one of the show’s most powerful moments. It’s fascinating to watch these characters backslide. To watch Frank succumb over and over or Carl to take his first cautious foray in his father’s footsteps. But who knew there would be so much pain in success? By all rights, Lip should be proud of himself and the brightness of his future. But it wouldn’t be Shameless without some pain to sharpen the pleasure. That non-confrontation with Mandy was about as much pain as I could handle. Speaking of which, after the diner scene, we see Mandy back at the house with her face battered and bruised. Was she just wearing a lot of makeup at work or are we to believe that she came home from seeing Lip only to get a beat down from her boyfriend? Heartbreaking.

Finally, of course, the other shoe drops with Ian and Mickey. After the manic high of last week, we’re treated to the tragic lows. Though upsetting, this is an immensely satisfying plot. It explains why Ian attempted to steal a helicopter, and why he’s been so erratic this season. I was afraid it was drugs, but this makes a lot more sense. The quiet sadness of his siblings when they recognize their mother’s bipolar disorder manifesting in Ian was rough enough, but seeing Mickey’s confusion after last week (and the heartwarming scene in the bar this week) was impossibly hard. Hats off to the writers for both Lip and Ian’s arc. A slow storytelling slice to the belly is a lot more interesting, in my opinion, than that Jimmy sucker punch. Is there any hope for Ian? It’s hard to say. I’m almost certain Lip will get out, but how many broken lives he leaves behind him is yet to be seen.